Georgia firing about more than Xs and Os

ATHENS, Ga. -- Jim Donnan won more than two-thirds of his games as coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. He lost his job Monday largely because he didn't win the ones that mattered most.

In a stunning move that caught everyone off guard, Donnan was fired by the Bulldogs just three weeks after athletic director Vince Dooley gave the coach a vote of confidence.

The Bulldogs began the season ranked No. 10 and favored to win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. After an early defeat at South Carolina, Georgia lost three of its final four regular-season games for the second year in a row, finishing 7-4 and ranked 24th.

Particularly galling to the Bulldog Nation: a third straight loss to Georgia Tech for the first time since the early 1960s, which cost the team a possible New Year's Day bowl.

''There was a lack of confidence in the direction of the program,'' Dooley said.

Donnan went 5-6 in his first year at Georgia, but he put together four straight winning seasons for an overall mark of 39-19. The Bulldogs, however, had a combined record of 6-14 against their biggest rivals -- Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida.

''Obviously, he's a good coach,'' quarterback Cory Phillips said. ''I guess it came down to the fact that he couldn't beat the big four.''

Speculation on a successor immediately centered on Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who last week turned down a reported offer from North Carolina for as much as $1.4 million annually.

Dooley and university president Michael Adams, who will conduct the coaching search, wouldn't comment on possible candidates. Dooley said the list would not be limited to head coaches.

''We will have a competent, qualified, aggressive coach at the University of Georgia,'' Adams said. ''We don't intend to be rushed into making a decision.''

The firing of Donnan was made at the behest of Adams, who took his case to the executive committee of the athletic board during a hastily called afternoon meeting.

''I don't believe the program was headed in the right direction,'' he said. ''This is not just about wins and losses or Xs and Os. There were several facets,'' he said.

Adams questioned the teaching ability of Donnan and his staff, while also making vague references to behind-the-scenes problems.

However, an NCAA report released last week showed Georgia had the second-highest graduation rate among SEC football programs. The only major scandal of the Donnan regime involved unauthorized use of an athletic department phone card, which resulted in seven players serving one-game suspensions at the beginning of this season.

Adams refused several times to reveal specific concerns.

''I'm not going to go down that road,'' he said. ''I'm simply saying that we looked at a whole range of things other than wins and losses.''

Dooley admitted that he wanted to give Donnan another season -- ''with the idea that next season would be extremely important.'' The AD changed his mind after hearing the concerns of Adams and the athletic board.

''There was a consensus within the university,'' Dooley said. ''It was obvious to me that a change needed to be made.''

The 55-year-old Donnan raved before the season that he waited his entire life to coach a team as talented as the Bulldogs, who returned 19 of 24 starters from last year's 8-4 team.

College coaches were coming and going at a dizzying rate Monday, with John Mackovic taking over at Arizona, and Gary Crowton talking to BYU about replacing LaVell Edwards.

Mackovic, who coached at Wake Forest, Illinois and Texas and spent four years coaching the Kansas City Chiefs, decided he wanted to get back on the sideline. He replaces good friend Dick Tomey, who resigned after the Wildcats finished the season 5-6.

''The TV gig was nice, but it's not coaching,'' Mackovic said. ''It doesn't have the same feel of coaching.''

Mackovic was fired after a 4-7 season at Texas in 1997, decided to quit coaching and worked for ESPN.

''I chose to say I was retired because I was hurt,'' Mackovic said.

Arizona AD Jim Livengood first contacted Mackovic a week ago. They worked out the details of the five-year contract at meetings late last week in Phoenix. Livengood said no one else was offered the job.

n Oregon's Mike Bellotti decided against leaving the Ducks for Southern California and signed a two-year extension to remain in Eugene through 2007, leaving the Trojans still searching for a replacement for the fired Paul Hackett.

n Mississippi coach David Cutcliffe signed a two-year contract extension through the 2004 season.

n New Orleans Saints linebacker coach John Bunting met with North Carolina officials about the head football coach opening there. Carl Torbush was fired last month after a 6-5 season.

n Georgia Tech running backs coach Bill O'Brien was promoted to offensive coordinator, replacing Ralph Friedgen, who left to take over at Maryland, which fired Ron Vanderlinden.

nNavy fired three assistants two days after beating Army for its lone win of the season. Fired were offensive coordinator Mike Vaught, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Gene McKeehan and secondary coach Charles McMillian. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter was reassigned as a defensive position coach. Charlie Weatherbie, the coach, stays.